Council Proceedings

[OFFICIAL.] Cor.srii, Chamhrii. I Aun Albor, .Jti.ii. 4, 1XSB. Adjourned session. The council was called to order ly the President, the Hou. Mortimer E. Cooley. Roll called. Quorum present. Absent - Aid. Sclialrer, Ilerz, Fillmore, Ferguson, Renberg. - 5. COMMUNICATION FBOM TUE JIAYOU. City of Aun Arbor, Mayor's Office, Jan. 4th, 1893. To the Honorable Common Councll: Gentlemen : Over ten years ago tin; charter and ordiuances of the city of Ann Arbor were compiled and jniblished by the authority of the city. Since that time the city has received a neiv charter, numerous ordinances have been enacted or repealed and amendments equally numerous perhaps have been made to ancient legislative enactmentg. Thi8 accumulated mass of ten years of municipal legislation reposes in the book of ordinances in the office of the city clerk, inaccessible save to tfaose who have expert knowledge to aid their search and a eareful memorj' of the office hours of the city clerk. Surely if the maxim "ignornnce of the law excuses no one" is ever inapnlicable it is douibly so in tlie case of the citlzene of Ann Arbor who can honestly plead ignorance of their own local laws. In these days of reviving Interest in lew, wlien a peaceful and orderly people, law-abiding and selfrespecting Beek only to the la-win order to givo it thcir obedlence and tlieir reepectful devotlon, it onght not to le said of our civic legislature that it witheid f rom them that whtch is and ought to he "the rule of their civil conduct pre.soril)C(l by supreme municipal power commandiiif? what is right and ppohitoitiBg what is wrong." rrofessional agitators and shi-cwd attoriM-ys migbt profit by this derelictiou, the one at the expense of tlie city's good name for a.v and order, and the other at the expense of their uninformed clients : but the council ought not to be accessory before the fact to eitlier misfortune. Tlie records of your honorable body disclose the fact that an appropriation was made Sept. 5th, 1892 for the purpose of reviaing the ordinances of the city. I have repeatedly urged upon the city attorney the necessity of expedition in the premises, but I am informed that he has been unable as yet to secure the assistance of his coadjutor. Aid. Wines, the ehairmnn of the ordinanre coramittee. To the end that the charter and ordinances may be eventunlly and speedilv compiled and publislied. I trust that the council wil] exert its authorIty 1o hosten tlie work too long dcla;yed. WHJLJAM G. DOTY. Mayor. AM. Martin movpd tliat the comnumication be accepted and placed on file. Aid. Wines moved as a substitute that the communication be referred back forconectiou. Wliich motion was lost as follows: Yeas- Aid. Wines.- 1. Nays- Aid. Martin. Snow, O'Mara Taylor, Kitson, rrettyman, Pres. C'ooley.- 7. Aid. Prettyman moved to lay communication on the table. Which motion was lost by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yeas- Aid. Wines, Kitson, Prettyman, Pres. Cooley. - 4. Nays- Aid. Martin, Snow, O'Mara, Taylor.- 4. The yeas and nays being called on the original motion, it prevailed as follows: Yeas- Aid. Martin, Ilerz, Snow, O'Mara, Taylor -5. Naya- Aid. Wines, Kitson, Prettyman, Pres. Cooley.- 4. HEPORTS OV STANDING COMMITTEES. To the Common Council: Your Committee on Lighting to whom Waa retened the matter of' lighting the city for the next year commeucing Jan. lst, A. D., 1893, would respectfully recommend that the proposition of the Ann ArborT. H. Electric Company be accepted under the same condition as last year. Your committee would further report on petitions referred to your committee, and recoinmend the ïollowing: the petition for two lights on west Huron street be denied and that one light be granted and located near the west line of John M. Wheeler's land, on a 60 foot pole, and the light now located at the Intersection of Huron and 7th streets be moved further east as Lighting Committee may lócate, also a light be located on State street and placed on a (0 foot pole at the entiance of the main building to the University Hall, and -we further recommend the three lights, one at the intersection of Detroit and North streets, one at the intersection of División and Lawrence streets, and one at the intersection of ïhird and West Iluron, be each placed on a GO foot pole. Respectfully submitted. William Hekz, Aktiil'h J. Kitson, Lighting Committee. Aid. O'Mara moved that the report be and the same is liereby approved and confiruied. Adopted as followsi Yeas.- Aid. Wines, Martin, Herz, Show, O'Mara, Titylor, Kitson, Prettyman, President Oooley.- 9. Nays- None. KEPÜRTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES. Aid. O'Mara, Chairman of Special Committee on city Buildings, reported progress and moved that President Cooley be added to the Committee. Adopted. Ann AitiiOK, Jiinuary 2, 1893. 'lo the Common Council : Gentlemen: - Your committee appointed November 21,1892, to consider aud recommemi a plan lor securing a system of sewers for the lows AnU Arbor' beg Iettve t0 report 3 folThe committee has had three meetings, at whjch the different features of the problem have been cousidered iu detail, thorounhly ciiscussed, and voted on separately, Your committee is uuaminously of the opinon that the couetruction of a system of sewers lor the city of Ann Arbor is a necessarv public ;ni]irovement, and that the work subuld be commenced as soon as practicable. Ihe system and plan recommended by the Jtoard of Public Works in their report to the Council uuder date of January 28, 1892, is reKiirded as the more desirtible, all things cousidered, for this city. Any further enlargemeut of the mam or lateral leven for the purpom of providin: for sarface drainage is not con Bldered advisable. Your committee doos not wish to be understood, however, as uot In favor of surfnet drainage in certain portions of the city, hut suggests that thifl questlon may be more readiiy met and disposed of with lêss expense to the city by the use of separate drains laid to the uearest aocauible natural water conrses. Vonr cornmittee wonld therefore recommend the adoptlon by this Coundl Jf the ystem and plan as submftted by tliu ííoard of Public Works, above referred to, with the additlon ol a t clve-inch braueh inain sewer extendlng from Broadway down Wall street, crossing the river. aud joiniiifi the niain scwer. if fonud practicable, otherwise diseharging into the river at the nearest suitable poirit; and witli the further addition of tacL auxilllury plan of surfaoe drainage as may be foimd expedieut and neoestary. The different method- of ruUing the money to construct stich a system ui i-)'fs havo rocoivod mnch considoration. The question natiimlly dividos itself luto two paits: iirst, the nijiin,or truuk.sewor; second, the system of lateral sewers. In order to roach conclusión likely to meet with the approval of a majority of our citizrns. the opmion of experlenced Snaneiers bas been soögbt. aleo the opiuiou of a uuinber ot' our citizens known to hold oppOüiiiR views. While at flrst it wat the vote of your committee to raise the money for the entire system by bonding, that plan did not, on more mature cousideration, commend itself so strongly. a careiui measiiremem oí me sewer man aiscloses about tweuty miles oí sewers laid down in the original plan, which does not embrace the receut eztensiona of the city limit. At au averaee cost of $fi,000 per inile. the lowest estímate Tor the entire i-ystem would approxlmate $120,000. while it is jossiblethe amount might reach Si50,O0U. or more. Your committee is uuwiïling to recommend placlng this city innier so largeabonded indet)tediie88 wheu freedom from such debt has always been ft matter of pride to our citizens. Tlie construction of the eutire system would, andel bonds, probably be deniauded at ouce, so that of necessity a large proportiou of the [aborlng lielp would have to be imported. As ïbout 8U per cent. of the cost of a sewer Byttezn Is for labor, any plau tending to favor our own people and keep our incincy at home, it seems, sliould meet the approval and cominand the BUJpport of our citizens. The mort; natural and eoonomiral Dlnn wniUl be to buüd the umin Bewer at once, and put [n tbe lateral! aa tliev ure demanded. or found aecessary. Thi& will odmit of exteodlog t he major part of the vtrork over a period of two or tliree vears.at leasti and provide work for a oumber of years ta extenslone are made, Tbe flual estimates for the cost of the main sewer lubmltted by the Board of Public Worka sbowed that it eau be huilt for ubout 9áSlflO0 or 0. To provlde for street erogaings, ilu-liiiií; tanks and other aCCessorles, this sum may properly be incn OfiOO. [uasmuch as do Bystem of lewera is practicable in this city without the maiu Bewer, and as it serves for all alike, both for the ] r - ent and the future, it seenis entirely proper tbat themoney for its constrnction should be ralsed by bonding. Your committee would therefore recommend the ralsiDg of tliis smn by tssuiiig bouds for a trim of years.and that the Fiuance Committee i and City Attorney be Instructed to procure the 1 iicccssary letjislation at the present sessiou of the Legislature. As to the best method of raisiug the money for the lateral sewers. your committee do not ut present feel prepared to recommend defluttely. The questiou has been discussed at length, and vurious plana considered. bu t none of theni appear to be totally free from obiectlon. As more Information is desired.and is belng BOQghf. your committee would respectfully ask fuither time before submitting its final report. Respectfully submitted. M. E. C'OOLEY. L. D. WINES. 11. Ci. PRETTYMAN. V. U. SNOW. .1. O'MARA. V. L. ÏAYLOR. WILLIAM HEKZ. Aid. Snow moved tbat the report be, and the saine is hereby ipproved and conflrmed. Adopted as follows: Yeas- Aid. Wines, Martin, Ilerz, Snow, O'Mara, ileliberg, Taylor, Kitson,Prettymai), Tres. Cooley.- 10. Xays- Ñone. RKPOBT8 OF CITY OFFICERS. CITY TItEASUKEIt'S REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDINO DECEMBER 31. 1892. To tlie Common Council of tlie City of Arm Arbor : Balance overdrawn as per last report 5,38241 MONEV RECE1VED. Contingent Fund - Miller, licenses 2.50 Street Fund - Sutherland 36.54 Pólice FuDd- Pond, flnes $300 Fire Fund- Sipley, building permits - - 2.08 Cemetery Fund- Manly, lot 5.00 Total 49.04 t 5,333.40 MONEY DISBURSED. Contingent Fund 11,139.99 Street Fund 631.92 Firemen's Fund 530.29 Pólice Fund 165 00 Poor Fund 231)38 Water Fund h.bo Soldiere' Kelief Fund 38.00 Bridge, Culvfirt and Crosswalk Fund 62.20 2.699.25 Total overdrawn 8.032.65 BALANCE ON HAND. Contingent Fund, overdrawn 3,377.75 Strett Fund, overdrawn 6,878.01 Firemen's Fund overdrawn 468.45 Pólice Fund overdrawn 20.22 PoorFund 769.08 Water Fund lOSi.'l Cemetery Fund 188.6" Soldiers' Relief Fund. B50.69 University Hospital Aid Hond Fund 840.00 Delinquent Tax Fund overdrawn 1,036.27 i " )í iiiA riiiui 1W. uu Uridge, Culvert and Crosswalk Fu nd, 16.40 Total % 3,648.05 $11,680.70 Total overdrawn $ 8,032.B6 Respectf ully submitted, S. W. Bkakes, City Treasurer. Ann Arbor City, January 2, 1893. Ann Arbor Sa vinos Bank, ) Ann Arbor, Mich., JaD. 4, 1893. j To the Common Council: This is to certify that there was on deposit to the credit of S. W. Beakes, City Treasurer, the sum of Thirty-Six Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety-two, and 42-IOO Dollars, ($36,292.42). Yours Respectfully, Chas. E. Hiscock, Cashier. The monthly reports of the City Treasurer, City Clerk, Marshal, and Superintendent of the Poor were read and placed on file. By Alderman Hen: Resolved, ïhat the Mayor and City Clerk be and they are liereby authorized to contract with the Ann Arbor T.-II. Electric Co., for the city street lighting according to terms of last years contract. Adopted as follows: Yeas- Aid. Wines, Martin, Herz, Snow, O'Mara, Rehberg, ïaylor, Kitson, Prettyman, Pres. Cooley- 10. ' Nays- None. By Alderman Rehberg: Resolved, That the sum of eight dollars be appropriated from the Poor Fund to pinchase a pair of bobs to be used for the delivering of wood for the poor of the city of Ann Arbor. Adopted as follows : Yeas- Aid. Wines, Martin, Herz, Snow, O'Mara. Rehberg, Taylor, Kitson, Prettyman, Pres. Cooley- 10. Nays- None. By Alderman Prettyman: Resolved, That a Charter Amendment Committee consisting of the. Ordinance Committee and City Attorney be requested to report necessary amendments to the city charter. Adopted. Mr. Wm. Miller, City Clerk City of Ann Arbor, I Jan. h. 1892. f I hereby tender iny resignation as chairtuau of the Ordinance Committee. L. D. Wines. Aid. O'Maia moved that the communication be laid on the table. Adopted. On motion the Council adjourned. City Clerk.